fontrailefandomcom-20200213-history
Villainy - Visionary
Not every villain is driven by a lust for power, hatred, or a desire to destroy something. Some of the most disturbing villains are those who feel they are working the greater good. The Visionary is this - a villain who dreams of a better world, one only he can provide. What makes this villain truly terrifying is that he sincerely wants to improve the lives of those around him, irrespective of whether or not they desire his help. These misguided souls often have a good idea, but go about their goals in a less-than-scrupulous manner. Sometimes, these goals only benefit a select few - of course, to these few, he sees himself as a protector and benefactor. He wants to help; to nurture and protect. Unfortunately, this villain is the embodiment of "the end justifies the means." He will do whatever it takes to bring about his better world - this can mean conquest, genocide, and destruction, all in the name of a greater good. This villain is the least openly villainous of the various villain archetypes, if only because his intentions, at their core, are good. Rarely, if ever, has a Visionary villain ever set out with the express intent of harming anyone - he only wants to make life better. However, beneath this benevolent surface, the Visionary represents one of the most dangerous villains of all - his seemingly-good nature masking dark deeds. Many people will believe what a Visionary is saying, and many are all-too-willing to do whatever he says to create a better world for their children. One Visionary's better world, for example, involves excluding certain "undesirables" from society. Another vision of their "better world" could involve excluding one aspect of the current world, such as magic, religion, or even specific political belief structures. The motivations for a Visionary are typically altruistic - he is selfless, willing to sacrifice anything to promote his better world, and he expects the same sacrifice from those that follow him. He is passionate about the hope he brings, yet he stops short of the fanaticism found in Devoted villains. He knows he needs careful planning to bring about his perfect world - he may be willing to act on a smaller scale, but knows that countless small changes are needed to bring about his vision. He knows that there are those who oppose his changes, those whom are either fools or pawns of hostile forces. A Visionary villain cannot be swayed by words or deeds, and his arrogance has convinced him that he truly knows what is best for everyone. The tactics of a Visionary villain openly contradict his gentle demeanor. He will be willing to resort to extreme measures - extortion, assassination, and sabotage, just to name a few - to remove any opposition to his vision. Leaders standing in his way will be destroyed, along with those who follow them. Ironically, this villain, who is capable of unspeakable atrocities in the name of the greater good, is also capable of great acts of kindness and compassion from the Visionary - he will not hesitate to use his resources to feed, clothe, heal, and shelter those who he has dedicated his life to helping. It goes without saying that the Visionary is charismatic, and works extremely well as a leader of others. Others admire and respect his dedication to his cause, regardless of whether or not they agree with his vision. He may even try to win support of those attempting to stop his mission - more than one Visionary has a few former enemies amongst the ranks of his loyal followers. This villain is also typically extremely wise in how he deploys his followers - his concern for their safety is typically genuine, and he generally recognizes the impact his actions have on the morale of his men. This villain is invariably surrounded by followers, much as a Power Mad villain is. However, these men and women usually do not follow out of fear or greed, as is typically the case for their counterparts - they obey his orders because they legitimately believe that he knows what is best for the world. m The Visionary is not a manipulator in the direct sense; he influences the opinions of others via his mission. He wants to change the world, but he knows that the world consists of people with independent minds. He has honed his ability to change their minds until they share his vision for a better world. As an adversary, the Visionary is both creative and opportunistic. In his simplest form, he is just another fanatic - a zealot dedicated to destroying something that the protagonists cherish. In this form, he is simply anarchistic and a terrorist. When this villain's motivations and history are fully-realized, however, he becomes an incredibly challenging villain to face - after all, his goals can be hard to argue against. He wants peace, prosperity, and happiness for his people. He may claim to hate himself for having to hurt people, but he has generally dismissed it as being necessary to allow his people to survive. The Visionary as an archetype is unique in that it's easily adjusted to face any combination of characters of any power level - it all depends on the GM. The two primary subtypes of Visionary are the Benevolent Dictator and Utopian. Visionary Variants * Benevolent Dictator * Utopian Directory Link Back to Archetypes.